Many sunscreen products tested positive for benzene — a carcinogenic chemical also found in paint thinners and gasoline. This discovery means sunscreen users are at high risk of developing different cancer forms.
Even at low levels, frequent benzene exposure could result in blood tissue cancers like leukemia, myeloma, and lymphoma.
Many sunscreen products tested positive for benzene — a carcinogenic chemical also found in paint thinners and gasoline. This discovery means sunscreen users are at high risk of developing different cancer forms.
Even at low levels, frequent benzene exposure could result in blood tissue cancers like leukemia, myeloma, and lymphoma.
People who used sunscreen containing benzene and were diagnosed with cancer are eligible for settlement that suits their losses. However, they’ll need to consult an attorney to see if they can file a sunscreen cancer lawsuit. The best attorneys will go the extra mile to get you a favourable verdict.
This article examines sunscreen products tainted with benzene and how you can file a claim to recover what you’ve lost due to usage. Let’s get started!
Since benzene discovery in some sunscreen products, many individuals have begun filing sunscreen lawsuits against Aveeno, Neutrogena, and Johnson & Johnson. These pharmaceutical entities manufactured benzene sunscreen products, causing cancer in some plaintiffs.
Patrons bought sunscreen products from these firms to decrease their cancer risk. Unfortunately, they bought carcinogen-containing products from J&J, Aveeno, and Neutrogena.
The carcinogen in view, benzene, potentially raises the user’s risk of getting the same life-changing sickness the manufacturers advertised to prevent.
In July 2021, Aveeno and Neutrogena, Johnson & Johnson recalled five aerosol sunscreens due to the product’s laboratory test results. The report showcased the product’s low levels of carcinogenic benzene.
Some of the recalled sunscreen products include:
Investigations are still ongoing in these manufacturing companies about how the recalled sunscreen products contain benzene. According to Johnson & Johnson, users shouldn’t experience adverse health conditions because their products’ benzene levels are way below harmful levels.
Before J&J recalled their sunscreen products, a virtual pharmacy called Valisure filed a citizen petition to the Food and Drug Administration over the manufacturer’s products. Valisure’s laboratory testing claimed benzene concentration in the sunscreen products from J&J is well beyond the acceptable limits established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and FDA.
While J&J recalled five sunscreen aerosols, Valisure’s laboratory results showed that other products from the company also contained high benzene levels.
Thus, there are still several J&J sunscreen products in the market with carcinogenic benzene levels.
The following is a list of other products in the market that Valisure claims include benzene:
Benzene is a harmful chemical used in manufacturing consumer products like plastic, herbicides, and rubber. Naturally, forest fires and volcanoes form benzene.
According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), benzene is a human carcinogen. Also, research from the American Cancer Society confirms it causes acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
Moreover, other studies link benzene to other cancers like non-Hodgkin lymphoma, multiple myeloma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). Scientists say benzene causes cancer as it creates chronic inflammation and suppresses the immune system.
According to MD Anderson Cancer Center research, there’s no scientific proof that using sunscreen leads to cancer. However, when a sunscreen product contains benzene and other carcinogens, it may boost the risks of cancer developing. Valisure discovered that 78 of the 300 sunscreens and after-sun products tested had benzene.
According to a top researcher from the Lynn Cancer Institute, sunscreens shouldn’t contain benzene.
But the carcinogen may have sieved their way into the as a by-product of other chemicals used in the tested sunscreens. Valisure’s FDA petition stated that studies conifme long-term exposure to any amount of benzene is dangerous.
Also, researchers discovered that increased exposure to benzene translates to a higher leukemia risk. Since sunscreen is often applied and reapplied over a large surface of the skin, even little amounts of the chemical in sunscreens accumulate into a harmful concentration, thereby causing cancer.
Thus, individuals diagnosed with cancer because their sunscreen contains benzene may have the right to file a lawsuit.
People who used J&J sunscreen products containing benzene and developed cancer afterward are qualified to file a sunscreen cancer lawsuit.
If they’re unsure whether their cancer diagnosis allows them for a lawsuit, contacting a lawyer for assistance is crucial.
Sunscreen lawsuits have just begun nationwide; there have been no trials or court verdicts yet. However, Johnson & Johnson agreed to a tentative sunscreen settlement in November 2021. A Reuters report on J&J’s agreement says the pharmaceutical firm hasn’t disclosed the conditions and amount of compensation.
Lawsuits where plaintiffs claim personal injuries like cancer are classified under individual cases. However, due to the number of potential plaintiffs in sunscreen cancer lawsuits, judges may consolidate these lawsuits into multidistrict litigation (MDL).
Several persons seeking refunds at the purchase price of J&J’s recalled products have filed class-action suits.
While class-action lawsuits aggregate claims and their lawyers, individual injury lawsuits remain distinctive as claimants retain their attorneys.
To file an individual claim or join a class action, contact a sunscreen lawsuit attorney. Your sunscreen attorney will help ascertain if you’re within the time limits of the case’s statute of limitation.
Consumers of J&J’s sunscreen products can receive a refund for recalled products by calling JJCI Consumer Care Center at 1-800-458-1673. If you’ve applied for a refund from J&J and plan to file a lawsuit, don’t sign a release of liability waiver.
The developments of different cancers in users of some sunscreen products have bewildered many people. The multiple reports of benzene-contaminated sunscreens has caused many to ask further questions regarding sunscreen lawsuits.
This dedicated FAQs segment on Benzene Sunscreen Lawsuits answers questions our readers may have:
Laboratory testing from Valisure, an online pharmacy, found many sunscreen and after-sun care products to contain benzene — an industrial chemical.
Scientists have also documented the harm of ingesting benzene for over a century.
According to WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), benzene is carcinogenic to humans.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also considers benzene as a human carcinogen. According to the Food and Drug Administration, the body charged with regulating and approving sunscreen variations and other products, benzene is a “Class 1 solvent.”
Drug products and drug substances, the FDA directs, shouldn’t contain a Class 1 solvent.
Sunscreen can cause cancer if they contain benzene, a carcinogen. Although there’s no specific research on benzene sunscreens and malignancies, Valisure found some sunscreen products containing benzene.
Valisure cited a Yale University researcher who stated that no benzene amount in sunscreen products is little to cause cancer.
When people use sunscreens containing benzene, the body absorbs the benzene-containing aerosol from the skin into the bloodstream. Once benzene enters the bloodstream, it increases the threat of cancer.
A IARC report confirms benzene exposure heightens the risks of acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), multiple myeloma, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Not all sunscreen products contain benzene. However, Valisure’s lab research shows that sunscreen products from many renowned brands contain benzene.
The indicted brands from Valisure’s research include:
Valisure tested over 200 separate batches from scores of sunscreen manufacturers and uncovered benzene in 78 product batches.
Twenty-six of those products tested to contain benzene levels at 0.1 – 2 parts per million (ppm). According to a Yale professor, 0.1 ppm of benzene can expose people to high nanogram benzene levels.
Valisure found multiple types of Neutrogena sunscreen to contain benzene.
Specific Neutrogena products with benzene include:
After Valisure made their discoveries available to the public, Johnson & Johnson — the pharmaceutical firm manufacturing Neutrogena products — recalled some Neutrogena sunscreen products. J&J proclaimed none of its sunscreens had benzene as an active ingredient and recalled their sunscreens out of “an abundance of caution.”
Many sunscreen products contain oxybenzone as an active ingredient.
According to the FDA, using sunscreens containing oxybenzone is safe. However, several environmental and health groups have raised their reservations over the chemical. For context, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) says oxybenzone is the most concerning active ingredient in sunscreen products.
Research confirms the chemical results in skin allergic reactions, potentially disrupting the endocrine system’s activities. Scientists also say oxybenzone could harm children.
As shown in the rat study conducted by the National Toxicology Program, oxybenzone is linked with signs of carcinogenic actions. Oxybenzone reportedly damages coral reefs and Hawaii banned sunscreen products that contain oxybenzone in 2021.
Sunscreens containing benzene don’t list benzene as an active ingredient. So, the benzene-positive products are most likely contaminated.
However, many sunscreen batches from Valisure’s test had no detectable benzene.
Brands with sunscreen batches not featuring benzene include:
Some of the brands in this list also have batches that tested positive for the carcinogen. Here’s the complete list of brands and sunscreen batches that didn’t contain benzene in Valisure’s analysis.
Sunscreens should prevent cancer, not expose people to its risk. Benzene shouldn’t be present in sunscreen or any consumer product.
It’s unclear how benzene made its way into sunscreens or what their producers did about it. But the faintest benzene in these products could, over time, expose people to the risk of different cancers.
People who use sunscreens may later develop acute myeloid leukemia (AML), acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), non-Hodgkin lymphoma, or multiple myeloma.
If you’ve been diagnosed with any of these ailments, it will be in your best interests to contact a lawyer. Your attorney will employ vital sunscreen lawsuit information to build a rock-solid case bound to yield compensation that tallies your financial and non-economic damages.
Individuals affected by this particular product or chemical are currently filing lawsuits.
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